Ben Stiller's banner to develop multiplatform content

Under the exclusive pact, Red Hour will develop original digital entertainment properties that can be launched as live-action and animated webisodes or social-media games across a variety of platforms, including mobile. As part of the deal, Mike Rosenstein has been upped to director of digital at Red Hour.

First projects to come from Red Hour include an animated spinoff of the 2001 comedy “Zoolander,” as well as an accompanying social-media game. “Billy Glimmer: Entertainer of the Century,” an online original comedy about Billy Glimmer (played by Stiller), the most successful singing impressionist-comedian in Las Vegas, is also in the works. That Web series will be written and directed by Jason Woliner, with Rob Huebel playing a Billy Glimmer “look-alike.”

Rosenstein has spent the past four years collaborating with Stiller and his producing partner Stuart Cornfeld, at Red Hour, to develop films and TV shows, while also producing shortform digital content. He will oversee the Paramount Digital relationship for Red Hour.

Stiller called the Internet “a magical gateway to make all our dreams come true,” and joked that Red Hour is also developing a new flying jet pack and a teleportation system to travel through time. “But for now, we are concentrating on making funny videos to watch while people are pretending to work,” he said.

Stiller and Red Hour have already produced the comedy series “Stiller and Meara” for Yahoo, starring his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, as well as the “Stillerstrong” viral campaign, which has raised more than $300,000 from social media toward building temporary schools in Haiti.